


Let-up

by two (nowstfucallicles)



Category: Midsomer Murders - All Media Types
Genre: Boss/Employee Relationship, Ficlet, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27592877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nowstfucallicles/pseuds/two
Summary: A disused airfield hangar can be a good place to start.
Relationships: Tom Barnaby/Gavin Troy
Comments: 14
Kudos: 12
Collections: Midsomer_Melee





	Let-up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [therachan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/therachan/gifts).



> Therachan, I was instantly in love with The Airfield Scene, just from your first brief mention of it. Here is a small headcanon-turned-ficlet about how I pictured that scene... before you wrote your phenomenal [Cold Beginnings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27474787).

He looks at Troy who is staring out into the rain, morosely, probably thinking about lunch – or rather, the lack thereof. Sandwiches, some chips, Tom wouldn’t mind either. Except it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up anytime soon. Small streams are flowing by across the cracked concrete and the rain is drumming heavily on the hangar roof. They agreed to wait, though he wonders if Troy would rather go back on that now. 

He did well, Tom thinks, before, with the witness. She’s not an easy one, and Troy tightened the screws in just the right moment. Tom looks at him again. 

“Good job that,” he says. “Earlier with Mrs Miller.”

“Hm?” Troy turns to him.

“You checked the lights on her car. Knew she was lying, did you?” 

“The moment she opened her mouth.” Troy smiles, an easy, self-satisfied smile. “It was all a bit too…”

“Well-rehearsed, yes.”

“She had the whole story ready. Answers to everything.”

It’s why they came out here. See if the crime scene would have been visible from the tarmac like she said. To Tom’s surprise, it checked out. The airfield has been shut down for years. Not a soul around. There are still a few boxes standing around in the hangar, with rust-covered parts. Platforms that were left standing, workbenches. As if people were still hoping it might reopen. He glances at Troy, finding him quietly pleased. 

“Good catch.” Tom reaches over to give him a clap on the shoulder. 

They hurried in here, but not without getting hit by the first shower. Troy’s grin widens. It’s contagious, as Tom finds many things about him lately. He presses Troy’s shoulder, damp but warm under his hand. It’s moments like this when he doesn’t really mind. Perhaps he even enjoys it. The small sting of appetite. That it gets under his skin, in a way not a lot of things do anymore. 

“What do you think then?” Troy asks. “Reckon she did it?”

“Either way,” Tom says, “I’m not buying her story.”

“We could get her in tomorrow. Detailed statement, give her enough rope…”

“Think you can catch her in big a lie?”

Troy nods, not a shadow of doubt. Tom moves his hand slightly up and gives his shoulder another squeeze.

“Alright,” he says and watches Troy’s grin. “You can have a go.”

It’s the route he would have taken anyway, except not just yet. She might clam up, get her solicitor in. Then again, there’s a chance Troy is right. A breeze pushes in through the gates and sprays them both with cool rain. 

“Bloody hell.” Troy wipes his face with the sleeve of his coat. “If we make it back to the station that is.” 

He doesn’t seem all that bothered, Tom notes, despite the rain and the missed lunch. His hand is resting on Troy’s shoulder and he gives it a light rub. He doesn’t mind it himself, this little break of theirs. No, indeed… Troy shifts closer, and while Tom doesn’t move, he subtly watches him from the corner of his eye. Troy is looking out into the rain, quiet for now, a bit too quiet.

You can’t legislate for things like this, Tom thinks. They happen, and they happen without distinction. Boundaries can blur, a relationship can shift. Slowly, with time, or quickly, imperceptibly. It doesn’t change anything. He’s not going to act on it, of course not, and Troy… he’s not sure Troy is quite aware of it. Tom turns to him, and when Troy meets his eye, it’s with an unexpected warmth. A glint of curiosity… It’s not for the first time Tom sees it, but something is different.

He holds Troy’s gaze and slowly adjusts his hand, brushing his thumb along Troy’s collar. His neck is damp from the rain. He doesn’t make a habit of it, touching him – the more he’s been wanting it, the less he’s been allowing himself. Yes, something is different. Troy turns towards him and with a small, flushed smile, shifts closer again. He doesn’t meet Tom’s gaze, and it’s better that he doesn’t. Just like that… Tom’s hand slides up into his short, wet hair.

His teeth clench against what’s bubbling up inside. Just for a bit, he thinks. Just a second, there’s nothing to it. He keeps stroking Troy’s hair, and there is another long, slow moment before Troy ducks into his touch. He needs to break it off. Needs to stop. Troy leans closer and Tom smells his breath, his rain-soaked coat. They are both looking down, looking at each other’s mouth, and Tom is waiting. A senseless thing, to be waiting for yourself – to stop. 

He raises his head and kisses him. A small, sudden motion, he presses his lips to the corner of Troy’s mouth. He feels Troy freeze. Feels him breathe out flatly. Tom goes still as well, but it’s still there, the appetite, and deeper, sharper than before. He caresses the back of Troy’s head, then he starts pulling back again. As he does, Troy leans forward. Moves with him and presses his face to his, his mouth to Tom’s. Kisses him. Quickly, clinging to him. His hands come up to cup Tom’s cheeks, and Tom leans into him and captures his mouth. He barely moves, but kisses him firmly, hungrily, until Troy does the same. Until he begins to open to Tom, bit by bit. And for a while it’s just that. For a while it’s just the way Troy feels against him, the newness, the stifled heat of his kiss. He’s not going to stop. Perhaps he was never going to…

A cool spray of water hits his face, and Tom pulls back and looks around. It’s the breeze, rushing past them. He looks at Troy before slowly letting go of him. Their movements are strangely hushed as they step apart. It’s all it takes. A few moments, to change everything. Troy opens his mouth, then he thinks better of it. He is scratching his neck. They are still standing close, and Tom turns his head towards the cooler air until he hears him blurt it out:

“I liked that…”

His eyes dart over to Troy, and though he can’t help a smile, he won’t say the first thing that goes through his mind. He merely nods, and he gives himself, gives them both a couple of minutes. The rain is letting up. Just a matter of time and they will be heading over to the car and driving back to the village. Some belated lunch, back to the station. This small, raw feeling. This thrill, he wonders when it will settle down again. 

“I think we found rather a bit more in this place than we bargained for, Troy.”

Deflating a little, Troy gives him a lopsided grin. A touch of regret pulls at Tom. It’s not much, considering all things, and there’s not much guilt either. He knows Troy will need time, a lot more time, to understand. Really understand what this is between them. But when he does, and if he still wants it then… 

“Come on, let’s head back,” Tom says, and he watches Troy’s eyes light up as he adds: “They have a decent menu at the village pub.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! 
> 
> Yes i still love these two a lot. Yes i'm still writing my Troy Returns AU, catch me taking a break from my otp.....with the same otp.
> 
> Any sort of feedback is very welcome!


End file.
